Kythonian Imperium
The Minotaurs of Kythos have a troubled and violent history. They have been enslaved as a race, fought countless bloody wars, and suffered terrible plagues, yet they emerged from their trials a strong, resilient, honor bound people. In addition to the home island of Kythos, the Imperium controls several small islands to the east of Elira. They are expert sailors and devastating warriors who seek to expand their holdings. The believe the strongest should rule and that none are stronger than the Minotaur Imperium. Demographics Population: 800,000 Government Absolute ruler: Emperor advised by the Supreme Circle The Emperor is the Absolute ruler and is advised by the Supreme Circle, a body or minotaurs who hold important positions within the empire. Like all things the minotaurs value, the emperorship is for the strongest to claim. Once every five years, there is a tournament to determine who has the right to challenge the Emperor. The challenger and the Emperor fight in the Great Circus for control of the Empire. Economy Imports: Slaves, lumber, olive oil, wine, jewelry, herbs, gold, silver, gems, arms, armor Exports: Pottery, grain, produce, leatherwork, glassware, ships stores, wool, fish Society In Minotaur society, loyalty is owed to the family, house, the clan, and the empire in that order. Within the Imperium, a family is headed by a patriarch or matriarch and is made up of their direct descendants. A house is made up of members of a particular bloodline and contains numerous families. Clans consist of houses bonded by marriage, debts of honor, and numerous other reasons. The clan leader is typically the senior patriarch or matriarch of the most powerful house within the clan. Some clans have been ennobled by the Emperor and hold special status and privilege. There are only a hundred or so noble clans who control most of the land and commerce of the empire. The rest of the population belong to the lesser clans of which there are thousands. Honor is everything to Minotaurs and they will go to great lengths to prove and protect it. Ritual suicide is not uncommon for a dishonored Minotaur. Similarly, life debts are often given for extraordinary services rendered. Like most other societies, the people of Imperium occupy a wide variety of professions. They are merchants, innkeepers, smiths, masons, miners, farmers, bakers, and a thousand other things. All of them are warriors. Every Minotaur is trained from birth to fight with many weapons and to wear armor. Males and females alike are raised to be warriors first and all else second. All Minotaurs are brought up on and around ships. With their natural sense of direction and immense strength, Minotaurs make excellent sailors. They build swift, shallow draught boats that are highly maneuverable on the open sea, coastlines, and inland rivers. They have a huge fleet of warships and commercial vessels and use them to explore and expand the empire. The justice system of the Minotaurs is simple, the strongest prevails. Almost all disputes are settled in the Great Circus with only the most minor complaints going before the courts. The Great Circus holds 50,000 Minotaurs and is the focal point of Minotaur society. When a formal challenge is made, each party may choose to fight themselves or nominate a champion. Only the old and infirm commonly select champions and it is a sign of weakness for a healthy Minotaur to use one. Aside from disputes, there are regular gladiatorial shows put on by professionals. Some claim the Minotaurs adopted the circus from their time as slaves to the dwarves of Thyrgard, who also rely heavily on public ritual combat to settle disputes. Recently, an unprecedented event took place. The Night of Blood as it is now known was nothing short of a massacre. The purging of the imperial family and the Supreme Circle by assassins happened simultaneously and left no known survivors. A new Emperor was proclaimed but many are unhappy with the break from a traditional challenge in the Great Circus and the treachery involved. Colonies Mito Mito is the largest colony of the empire. It is a shipbuilding and craft center with extensive vineyards and pasture land. In addition to finely built ships, Mito produces rope, wool, hides, leather goods, pottery, cloth, and wine. A huge lighthouse protects shipping around its northern end, a peninsula called Warhammer Point. Amor The orchards of Amor produce exotic lumber, medicinal herbs, and a variety of fruits including huge dates and figs. Tengis Tengis is the second largest colony of the empire. It has hot springs with healing properties where opulent baths and temples have been built around them. In addition to significant shipbuilding facilities, the minotaurs raise their stout warhorses on this island. Argon The volcanic island of Argon is home to some of the most productive gold, silver, and gem mines in the empire. Slavers work their unfortunate charges to death in blazing inferno pits. Vyrox, a penal colony notorious for its harsh conditions and high mortality rate, is the largest of Argon’s mining facilities. Gradok An agricultural colony, Gradok produces breadfruit, coconut oil, mangos, bananas, beans, barley, and yams Tyklo The mines of Tyklo produce valuable iron, coke, copper, and tin for the forges of the empire. The hills and scrubby grassland of the island support vast herds of goats and sheep. Haythun The fertile rolling hills and meadows of Haythun are divided into vast estates where an enormous slave population grows barley, wheat, oats, hay, corn, and many green vegetables for the empire. Military Ranks Legate - Legion command Milnarian - 1000 Quintarian - 500 Hecturian- 100 Decarian - 10 Legionary - 1 Category:Om Category:Geography Category:Minotaurs